Orville Peck did a little bit of kissing and telling on his latest album, revealing that he once “made out” with a player in the NFL.
“I love the Lakers, the Mets and the Longhorns / Made out with a guy on the Raiders,” Peck, 38, sings on his track “Ring the Bell,” which is featured on his new album, Mule, released on Friday, September 18. “I’ve seen him on TV / But the only sport I know how to play is staying up ’til half past three.”
“I’m going to preface this by saying that I did receive permission to sing that lyric from the subject in question, and he was very thrilled,” Peck revealed to Variety. “I told him, ‘Look, I’m gonna keep it sort of ambiguous and mysterious, but I would like to include this in this song.’ He was very, very honored.”
The singer added that he “would never have done it if it were somebody who was hiding or fearful of it coming out.”
“This person would have probably allowed me to say their name if I wanted, but I didn’t think it was necessary,” Peck said. “People can use their own common sense and discovery to try to figure out who it may be, but that’s all I’ll say.”
While he didn’t get into specifics on the song, many fans have theorized that Peck is referring to former Raiders player Carl Nassib, who became the first active NFL player to come out as gay in 2021.
“What’s up, people?” Nassib said in a video posted via Instagram at the time. “I’m at my house in West Chester, Pennsylvania. I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now, but finally feel comfortable getting it off my chest. I really have the best life, the best family, friends and job a guy can ask for.”
Nassib played for the Raiders for two seasons from 2020 to 2021. He also played for the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Nassib announced his retirement in September 2023.
“I’m a pretty private person, so I hope you guys know that I’m not doing this for attention,” Nassib continued in his coming out video .”I just think that representation and visibility are so important. I actually hope that one day, videos like this and the whole coming out process are not necessary, but until then I will do my best and my part to cultivate a culture that’s accepting and compassionate.”
